How safe are students at American colleges and universities? A new Web site
from the Department of Education answers that by providing campus crime
statistics for 6,000 schools.

The OPE Campus Security Statistics
Website from the Office of Postsecondary Education provides detailed
statistics on criminal offenses, hate crimes, and arrests made on- and
off-campus for the years 1998, 1999 and 2000.

The 6,269 institutions covered include major colleges and universities,
smaller liberal arts colleges, community and junior colleges, and specialized
trade schools and colleges.

"In the weeks ahead, students and parents around the country will be
making important decisions about postsecondary education," stated Secretary
of Education Rod Paige in a press release.
"The security and safety on and around our college campuses is one of
several factors they will consider. This Web site is a powerful tool that will
help families make that important decision, providing them with the latest
safety records of our colleges and schools."

The Web site provides the crime statistics reported by every postsecondary
institution that participates in federal financial aid programs and includes
separate data for each campus. The data are categorized under one of four
locations where the crime occurred: residence halls, other on-campus locations,
non-campus buildings or properties, or nearby public property.

Institutions are required to collect crime statistics and distribute an
annual security report to current students and employees under the Jeanne Clery
Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. The law
was amended under the 1998 amendments to the Higher Education Act and requires
the Education Department to collect the data from schools and make this
information widely available.

This marks the second year that the department has collected the data and
made it accessible via the Internet and is the earliest the department has ever
provided the data to the public.

The law requires schools to report, by calendar year, annual data on alleged
criminal offenses in the following categories: criminal homicide, negligent
manslaughter, sex offenses, robbery, aggravated assault, motor vehicle theft,
and arson. An institution must also report hate crimes based on race, gender,
religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity or disability; and arrests of persons
referred for campus disciplinary action due to liquor and drug-law violations
and weapons possession. The data are listed for the three most recent years
(1998, 1999, and 2000); however, arson and negligent homicide were not required
to be reported in 1998.

The statistics represent alleged criminal offenses reported to campus
security authorities or local police agencies and do not necessarily reflect
prosecutions or convictions for crime.

The law, which was originally enacted in 1990, was renamed in 1998 in memory
of Jeanne Clery, a student murdered in her dorm room on a university campus.

"I applaud the tireless efforts of Jeanne's parents, Connie and Howard
Clery, and the thousands of other parents and crime victims who have worked with
them," Paige said. "They have turned their grief into advocacy for a
law that opens the book on the safety of our college campuses. Now, the American
people are empowered with the information they need to make informed decisions
about campus safety."

Also See:The
IPEDS College Opportunities On-Line Web siteAnother service of the Department of Education, this site details
tuition, housing, books and other expenses associated with registration and
attendance at over 9,000 colleges and universities in the United States. If you
are thinking about a large university, a small liberal arts college, a
specialized college, a community college, a career or technical college or a
trade school, you can find information about them all here.